1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to displays and, more particularly, to a display in which discrete objects can be exhibited, and from which the objects can be controllably removed.
2. Background Art
The sale of audio and video tapes and disks has branched out from dedicated movie, music and computer stores to virtually every conceivable point of purchase sales environment. Movies and music in both tape and disk form are now commonly sold in gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, and the like. It is also common to see these tapes and disks sold in fast food environments during periodic promotions which are coordinated with the release of high profile movies or plays.
To best exploit this market, it is desirable to place the tapes and disks on display for purchase or rental in a highly visible and heavily trafficked area of a store. Ideally, the tapes and disks should be displayed so that the containers therefor are readily viewable by a prospective purchaser or renter. At the same time, the actual tape or disk that is to be purchased or rented should be readily accessible to be picked up by the customer.
Accessibility to the tape or disk is particularly a problem where space is at a premium. In dedicated movie rental facilities, video containers may be lined edge-to-edge over a large expanse of a vertical wall. It is not uncommon for as much as an 8'.times.8' area of a wall to be occupied by copies of a single, popular title.
While dedicated movie rental and sales facilities may have the luxury of space, in other types of business, only a small area may be available for display of such items. A purveyor of such items may be left with the options of either purchasing and displaying only a limited number of a particular title or storing a separate supply thereof at a location remote from the display. The former option is undesirable in that potentially a large number of sales or rentals may be lost. This problem is aggravated by the fact that a particular operation may get a reputation for having very limited product availability, which may result in a loss of customers that might frequent the facility for tape or disk movie or rental.
The other option is undesirable in that it is an inconvenience to both the customer and the store operator. In the event that a supply of a particular title is exhausted at the display, the customer may have to have a sales representative intervene and seek out a tape or movie at the remote location. This may significantly compromise the overall efficiency of the store.
If the above two options are not practical, the store operator may revert to the mass display, as discussed above. As an alternative to an edge-to-edge display as is common in dedicated movie rental facilities, the individual packages may be stacked one against the other. However, to the knowledge of the inventors herein, no such display arrangement is in existence which allows the tapes and/or disks to be stored in bulk at the point of purchase in such a manner that the identity of the tape or disk can be prominently advertised and so that the tape and/or disk are conveniently situated to be removed one-by-one for purchase or rental.
Another problem with this bulk display is that undetected removal of the tape or disk may occur. This is particularly a problem with smaller size objects such as digital video disks which, while small, are expensive. A thief could grasp a handful of the bulk display disks and place them in a coat pocket and depart the premises without detection.
Attempted theft of the above tapes and disks encountered in dedicated tape and disk rental operations may be detected by using electronic sensors at the entrance and exit doors of the facilities. However, in operations where sales of tapes and disks is merely an adjunct to the main business, investment in such detection equipment may not be warranted. Since the tapes and disks may be relatively high priced and relatively low profit margin items, the potential purveyor of such items may opt against offering this type of product because of the potential loss that is attributable to theft. The store operator that makes this decision may not only lose the revenue associated with the tapes and movies, but the additional revenue from the main business sales which occur as an incident of people coming in to peruse available disks and tapes.
The theft problem is aggravated by the fact that many facilities, such as grocery stores, may make available tapes and disks only for certain hours, before and/or after which the main business remains open. The tape and disk area may be unattended by any employee while the other business in the facility is ongoing. This increases the likelihood of theft. Employee theft may also be problem. Employees working in the facility after hours may be tempted to take readily accessible tapes and/or disks.
A further problem with displaying and dispensing tapes and disks from facilities not dedicated to these products is that sometimes expensive and elaborate displays might be required for the tapes and disks. Generally, to produce such a display with any significant capacity, a permanent-type display unit might be required. Aside from the expense involved in constructing such a permanent-type display, flexibility in rearranging display areas may be lost.
The above are just some of the many things that are often considered in displaying tapes and disks for sale or rental. Even though tapes and disks offer a tremendous lure to customers and to virtually any facility, business owners may opt against these displays due to the potential expense, theft problems, etc. As a result, a substantial business opportunity may be lost.